The use of retaining sleeves to retain a stent on a catheter has been disclosed in a number of patents including U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,227 to Savin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,341 to Solar and U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,416 to Ryan et al. One or more retaining sleeves typically retain the stent on the catheter when the stent is in an unexpended state. Upon expansion of the stent, the retaining sleeves release the stent.
Retaining sleeves may be attached to a catheter tube using a variety of methods. One method involves using an adhesive to bond the retaining sleeve to the catheter tube. Another method involves welding the retaining sleeve to the catheter tube. Welding may be accomplished by heating the retaining sleeve or by applying laser radiation to the retaining sleeve at a wavelength absorbed by the retaining sleeve. CO2 lasers have proven to be particularly useful in this regard. Heating may also be accomplished through application of other forms of laser energy, radio frequency, application of heating blocks, or other suitable heat sources.
In laser welding a retaining sleeve, there is a potential to damage the catheter tube to which the sleeve is being welded in general and the inflation lumen in particular.
There remains a need for novel techniques for affixing retaining sleeves to catheter tubes.
All US patents and applications and all other published documents mentioned anywhere in this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
The invention in various of its embodiment is summarized below. Additional details of the invention and/or additional embodiments of the invention may be found in the Detailed Description of the Invention below.